Ever since the Bathurst 1000, Australia's greatest motor race, ended at about 4.30pm local time last Sunday - in nice time for the opening laps of the Japanese Grand Prix - I've been wondering exactly why I found it, lap by lap, so mesmerising for all those hours.

Normally I'm not good with distance races. The circuits tend to be big, the cars disappear for long periods and rarely dice, quite soon into the event each car starts having its own race, and after an hour or two true appreciation of what's going on is left to the competitors and teams, or a relatively few true students of the formula.

Not so at Bathurst. The race may last seven hours but it goes in several different phases that make the time fly and never let the tension ebb. First there's the spectacular nature of the circuit: drive it at 40mph in your hire car, and you simply have no idea how they do it. No Herman Tilke could ever design a 3.2 mile circuit like this one, with its huge straight that takes you to the rev-limiter in top and its complex of quick, blind bends that also rise and fall and are usually flanked by concrete walls.

Then there are the cars themselves, 1400kg, 550bhp machines - bulky with it - that share many key components (space frame, rear suspension, transaxle, running gear and very little that could be called electronic) which makes the fastest cars very similar in performance. They're quick but don't develop much downforce, so speeds nowadays exceed 190mph at the end of the mighty Conrod Straight, where cars head into a scary right-handed kink called The Chase without a lift.

Finally there are the drivers. The locals consistently wipe the floor with the very best imports, and almost always have, simply because, as at the 'Ring or Spa, local knowledge counts for everything when you're competing in an equal car.

Best of all, competition is so close. With 20 laps to go this year, the top five contenders were visible in the same TV frame, with several others not far away. The winner for Ford this time (by a few tenths) Mark "Frosty" Winterbottom, has been racing his friend, second-placed Holden driver Jamie Whincup, all his life, but Whincup had been the more successful by a long chalk. Winterbottom, needing redemption, was best known for muffing a big chance, years earlier, in the last few laps.

This time, as they raced these big lumps of cars wheel-to-wheel for the last 45 minutes on this most exacting of circuits, you couldn't fail to be impressed by their car control, their speed-with-restraint - and their clean driving. At each challenge from Whincup, the Ford driver would give him fair room, with millimetres to spare, yet a minimum of paint was exchanged. Neither driver ever looked like simply, crudely punting the other off.

All of which is why, when Frosty crossed the line and looked so ecstatic on the podium, the bloke he had so narrowly defeated after seven gruelling hours was ready with his congrats, easily acknowledging that the better driver had won. It was this consummate display of sustained speed and skill, followed by sportsmanship of the highest order, that set me wondering how I can possibly arrange my affairs to be back on Mt Panorama this time next year.

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Following it from this side of the world, Bathurst has traditionally been seen as a bit of a novelty by UK race fans. You know the sort of thing, 'Reports state that in the middle of a punch up a motor race was seen to break out.' Glad to read some proper objective journalism on what is undoubtedly a competitive and exciting endurance race.

After 1000km the winning margin was 0.47 seconds. The last few laps were thrilling with door-to-door racing for the lead and a bunch of overtakes in the battle for 3rd, 4th and 5th. Formula 1 looks tame compared with this type of racing.

they would ever consider making it a night race so it could be on at a more convenient time (and on terrestrial tv) here in the UK. I remember Murray Walker used to join the Australian broadcasters for commentary.

You missed the fact that 'roo got wiped out... no other race would have that, nor the ingenuity of fans who spend time burying beer so that they have more than the one carton per person per day allowance...

In the early 70s, I worked for a chap who competed in the Bathurst 500 (Race changed its name to Bathurst 1000 in '73). I embarrassed myself by savagely twitching the tail of his M-Benz 300 with 6.3 motor.

Even the Police were sometimes human. On one occasion whilst dressed in my wetsuit and driving home from our bayside property, I picked up a hitchhiker. With the needle steady on 135 kph, with the boat on the trailer behind, we were discussing the merits of various motor cycles. After telling me that he owned a Honda 500 but rode a Kawasaki 900 at work, I realised I was sitting beside on off duty policeman. He was nice enough to turn a blind eye.

So please to see some views on Bathurst in UK press, the race was absolutely fantastic and deserved so much more than the page or so it got in Autosport.
Been following V8 Supercars closely for about 3 years now and have got so wrapped up in now, Holden/Vauxhall are dirty words in my vocabulary.
There is slight reminiscing going on here as it is coming up for a year that I made the trip out to Oz to go and watch the season finale at Sydney Olympic Park - to the person above who referenced V8s as being for pansies you clearly have never experienced them in action - the noise and energy these cars dissipate it truly astounding - unfortunately my own videos don't do them justice.
Bathurst this year was a genuinely great race - the final stint battle between Tander, Lowdnes and Bright was exciting enough, but that Winterbottom and Whincup were doing battle for 1st 2 seconds up the road was awesome. As a Ford fan, the battle for the lead was intense to say the least - but the joy of beating RBRA and Whincup meant the was no sleep until 22 hours after the race had started.
Next year too with Volvo in the championship means I'm also looking to get out to the mountain again for a proper race and not the 64 kph potter they make you do in your renta car! So pass me the Coopers beer, I'm going out there to be part of the best race of the motor racing season.